Educational project for youth “Gang for Change”
“Gang for Change” — a project for youth, implemented within the educational program of the Festival of American cinema “Independence”. The project was aimed at the development of media literacy, creative thinking and active civic position of youth through tools of video and documentary storytelling.
The program of the project was conducted in Odesa, Sloviansk/Kramatorsk and Mariupol in June–July 2021 and united young participants interested in creating their own media projects and exploring current social topics.
Participants of the project received the opportunity:
- to get acquainted with the principles of editing thinking, the basics of video shooting and sound recording;
- to take part in practical classes in shooting and editing;
- to listen to lectures on the history and diversity of activist cinema and video;
- to choose a topic and method of shooting for their own video project;
- to join the organization of the filming process and get acquainted with its features;
- to analyze and discuss video materials used by public organizations and social movements;
- to create their own media project with the support of experienced mentors.
The project became a platform for creative cooperation, exchange of experience and development of new media skills among youth, and also contributed to the formation of an active and responsible civic position.
Project curators: Ella Shtyka, Dmytro Tiazhlov
VIDEO PROJECTS OF PROJECT PARTICIPANTS:
Sloviansk / Kramatorsk
Bullying
If your child complains that at school they have no friends, gets nervous at the mention of school or kindergarten, comes home in a bad mood, with bruises or scratches, perhaps they have become an object of bullying. Most often the reason is the child’s appearance, social status, success in studies. They may be teased because of nationality, religion, state of health and even because of the language the child speaks. What parents should do — in the video of the Gang for Change team from Sloviansk.
Curator Rodion Shub (Ridni animation)
Project team:
Drachova Viktoriia
Nikonova Anastasiia
Be yourself!
The word “stereotype” translated from Greek means “solid imprint”. A stereotype is a stable and simplified image or idea about a phenomenon, event, person or group of people. It is usually based on the belief that all members of a certain group are the same and do not differ from each other in any way, that all members of a certain group have similar qualities. Some stereotypes are passed on from generation to generation, they are accepted on faith and not checked.
Some may arise due to lack of information, under the influence of a certain situation, personal experience and ideas accepted in the community or society. How stereotypes cause a mistaken attitude toward ideas and phenomena and lead to false conclusions — in the video of the team from Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Curator Rodion Shub (Ridni animation)
Project team:
Isikova Polina
Pavliuchenko Arina
Raikovskyi Artem
Maliar Olha
Bakukha Albina
Curator Rodion Shub (Ridni animation)
Project team:
Drachova Viktoriia
Nikonova Anastasiia
Chat-bot
The chat-bot was created by the Youth Council of Sloviansk in partnership with the civil society center “Drukarnia” with the kind support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, the Sloviansk City Council, the Sloviansk Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Donetsk region, LLC “SDS-Skhid”
Project team:
Hroz Taisiia
Zybinska Valeriia
Melnyk Oleksii
Martinson Mykola
Poliachenko Mykyta
A space for youth is simple
We, residents of the Mykolaivka city territorial community, believe that the outflow of youth to large cities can be stopped by realizing that leisure is one of the key problems of youth. We appeal to the heads of the Mykolaivka city territorial community with a request to arrange a public space for youth — a part of a park or square — where the youth of the community can spend their leisure time. The youth of the city, from schoolchildren to students, have great energy and potential, they have new interests and a new outlook — the question arises whether they have the opportunity to communicate without leaving Mykolaivka. Sports grounds and stadiums of the city are not in free access for youth — they are part of
the infrastructure of schools or children’s educational institutions. The nearest arranged public park is located in the city of Sloviansk — at a distance of more than 20 km. Therefore we appeal with the idea of arranging
a square with pedestrian and bicycle paths, a place for active recreation (for example, a sports ground or tables for tennis) and places for picnics. The development of such a public space is a guarantee of implementing a healthy state youth policy, which will promote the participation of youth in the life of the community and the consolidation of the youth movement.
Project team:
Kurylka Mykyta
Saprykina Milana
Trufanova Yeva
Mozghovoi Oleksandr
Kudelenko Oleksandr
Mariupol
To be yourself
What is personal freedom and how to find it? Freedom is what everyone wants. It is what we strive for when we are limited by narrow frames of obligations and restrictions. But do we always feel free? How to accept yourself as you are, and tell others about your choice?
Project team:
Aldoshyna Daryna
Kyryienko Ivan
Shyndenkova Sofiia
Free time
We live in a society in which there is not enough time. When people think that they do not have enough time for something, they become less satisfied. Life with reasonable, balanced, sufficient leisure contributes to well-being. What is better for a person: little or too much free time for oneself? To be happy, you should be somewhere in the middle, say Chris Manolis and James Roberts from Xavier University in Cincinnati and Baylor University.
Project team:
Natalchenko Mariia
Nykyforenko Kateryna
Tatarinova Karina
Shevchenko Ivan
Mariupol – a safe city
The streets of Mariupol must be free from vandalism. What can we do to fight for this?
Project team:
Bondarenko Bohdan
Hladun Vladyslav
Pirch Oleksandr
Bullying Law
What is bullying and how to prevent it?
Project team:
Volhina Maryna
Anna Matchenko
Moldavchuk Vasyl
Odesa
National hotline for children and youth
NGO “La Strada-Ukraine” is a public international human rights organization that works to ensure gender equality, prevent all types of gender-based violence, in particular domestic violence, combat human trafficking and ensure the rights of children, promoting the implementation of international human rights standards in all spheres of life of society and the state.
The video was created with the informational support of NGO “La Strada-Ukraine”
Project team:
Stoianova Niko
Syrotenko Alla
Kulikovska Oleksandra
Bosenko Alina
In frame Mukhanova Hanna
Give me a family
GladPet.org was created for adoption and help to homeless animals. If you want to get a pet — watch the video of the team from Odesa and — look for a pet on its website. The video was filmed with the support of the all-Ukrainian animal adoption resource GladPet.org and the cat shelter “Zorko odno lish serdtse”.
Personal thanks for assistance in filming to the head of the GladPet project Kseniia Tiori and the head of the cat shelter Olena Pomazenko “Zorko odno lish serdtse”
Project team:
Bambuliak Polina
Vdovychenko Anastasiia
Bylyma Mykyta
SUGAR
We all know about the harm of sugar. It is one thing when we consume it as part of fruits and vegetables, and quite another thing is the habit of eating refined sugar or sweets. It does not matter whether you ate some bread or drank juice. In any case sugar easily and imperceptibly penetrates our daily diet. Let us make it noticeable!
Project team:
Stoianova Niko
Syrotenko Alla
Kulikovska Oleksandra
Bosenko Alina
We are for a common space
There are not many skate parks in Odesa, however among them is the largest ground in Ukraine for extreme sports. We are talking about the skate park that is located on the territory of Taras H. Shevchenko Park. The park is located on the seashore, therefore even in the strongest heat it is quite comfortable to ride here. The ground was opened not so long ago — in 2017. But is it possible to simply leave home and arrange a ground around the monuments of the Great Patriotic War?
Project team:
Kolesnyk Kyrylo
Senkevych Oleksandra
Sopilnyk Anastasiia
Smirnov Oleksandr

